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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
126,832 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Chevrolet Tahoe brakes problems

brakes problem

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2002 Chevrolet Tahoe Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #50

May 182014

Tahoe

  • 105,139 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake line located between the brake control module and the rear axle ruptured above the fuel tank during a stop from 45mph for a stop light causing me to have to veer into the right hand turn lane and ultimately turned into the cross traffic pattern. Fortunately, there was no traffic at the time so there was no crash. It is also fortunate that I was pulling a trailer with brakes to aid in my stopping or it may have been worse.

- Cleveland, WI, USA

problem #49

May 112014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Brake line burst from being so rusty, unable to stop in time, was able to veer off to side to avoid collision.

- Huntington Station, NY, USA

problem #48

Apr 112014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 164,247 miles
I took my car in to get it serviced as well as have the dealership cheek the brakes. I received a phone call stating that along with the rear brakes on the car, the parking/emergency brake pads needed to be replaced as well because they were having metal on metal contact. I thought it was odd that the parking brakes need to be fixed considering I have never used them before. The dealership finished up with the car and when I got it back, I began to notice some tugging going on when I would be driving through town or anywhere really. It felt as if I was pulling a trailer or boat when I was not. After a few days I noticed that the tugging sensation had began to die down. It was then that I read the parking brakes for this model were somehow receiving some type of contact that caused them to wear down very rapidly. I proceeded to follow the instructions in the manual on how to set the parking brake, considering I had never used it, and when I finished all the steps required, my car proceeded to roll backwards down the very slight incline. I called the dealership and brought the car back in for them to look at it. Turns out, I need new hubs along with a new set of parking brake pads and a few other things in order for the problem to be corrected. It angers me that GM has not issued any sort of statement to owners informing them about the issue. Nor have they issued any sort of recall on the matter. My parents bought the car brand new back in 2002 and drove it before I did. They never used the parking brake either. My brother who drives a Silverado of the same year also has had issues with the parking brake not working. There have been reports of the parking brake failing at 25,000 miles for some individuals. There is no telling when the parking brake first went out on my car, but it has been not functioning for a while from what I can gather from the dealership.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #47

Feb 192014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 118,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I ran out of gas on the freeway going 65 mph with my 5 year old son in the car. Apparently when a Chevy Tahoe runs out of gas it shuts down the entire electrical system including power steering as well. I'm unsure of this ------> but it seems like the brakes are affected too. I had a very difficult time merging over to the right hand shoulder of the highway (I had to cross three lanes and merge with on-ramp traffic), given that I had very little steering control and had to use as much momentum as I already had to get off the road to safety, without being hit by someone traveling over 50mph. Plus other cars were not letting me over. I can see this becoming a very dangerous situation. GM just recalled a bunch of Tahoe years for this issue but not my year (2002). I would like to see them address this issue in my vehicle, but right now the mechanic at the dealership told me there are "currently no recalls on [my] vehicle" and I would have to pay out of pocket to diagnose/fix this problem. Also when I first got my car in 2009 I was waiting in line to board a ferry boat in Washington state, and turned the engine off, had the car in neutral, I thought I would "coast" down the ramp, this is when I first learned that this make/model does not steer or brake properly when the engine is off/dead. There was no incident at this time because I was only going 5 mph but I definitely felt that I did not have control of the vehicle.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #46

May 052009

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
I was crossing two lanes of traffic to take an exit ramp when the car in front of me came to a complete stop. I pressed the brakes on my Tahoe and the vehicle began to slow down, however, when I went over a rough area in the road the brakes released despite me pushing on the brake pedal. I ended up rear ending the stopped vehicle in front of me due to the brakes releasing on the rough part of the road. I have encountered this numerous times when I try to apply the brakes on a rough portion of road.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #45

Apr 012012

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
The rear brake line rusted through and there was a significant loss in brake power. This happened when I stopped at a store.

- Oakton, VA, USA

problem #44

Dec 202012

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 160,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Replaced brakes on rear of Tahoe go to bleed them a hard brake line busted. Looked at leaking area nothing but rust caked brake lines.could have been bad if I was driving when this happened.

- Lynchburg, VA, USA

problem #43

Feb 222014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 117,000 miles
When I was pull a trailer down to a red lights my brakes went to the floor and had swerve to not hit the cars in front of me I got it on the side of the rood then the brake light cam on it scared the hell out of me my daughter was not with me she is two if some thing happened it would have devastated me or hurt some one I was pulling a trailer that 1000 tractor.

- Millersville, PA, USA

problem #42

Feb 122014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
At low speed the antilock brakes are activating for no reason. This vehicle was part of the recall performed in 2006. The issues have returned and the dealership will not support any repairs unless I pay for them. The recall was performed at 36,000 miles the vehicle has 95,000 on it now.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #41

Sep 072012

Tahoe

  • 89,000 miles
While approaching a stop sign at a "T" intersection on a local set of residential roads, the brakes completely failed on my Tahoe. I did not have enough pedal to stop for the stop sign and blew through the intersection, thankfully without striking any cars. Upon inspection I found brake fluid streaming from the brake line where it was mounted to the frame at the left rear wheel well. I was able to pump up the brakes enough to limp the 3 miles at about 20 mph back to my house for a repair. I was quite dismayed to learn of all the problems that exist with rusted GM truck brake lines. I plan to replace the entire set this spring with a set of stainless steel ones but really would prefer that GM do it, since they are the ones who made the brake lines out of substandard materials to begin with.

- Bel Air , MD, USA

problem #40

Jan 152013

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have an 02 Chevy Tahoe with only 70,000 miles on it garage kept was driving down the road one day and brake pedal went right to the floor almost crashed brake fluid all over the floor we looked under the vehicle and it was total rust and corroded I called the dealer to see if there was a recall they said that this is a known problem and I said that it should be a recall I almost got killed we take care of our vehicles very well and garage kept I can't afford the price of the brake lines or the labor I think that this should be recalled immediately I have read all the testimonials I don't understand what is the hold up on the recall it should be done immediately.

- Columbia, PA, USA

problem #39

Feb 072014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • miles
EA11001 brake pedal suddenly went to the floor during braking, hit pole. Repair center showed me a batch of rusted brake lines entering the ABS box underneath the drivers side door. There was fluid leaking from that group of lines, four of them together. Searching the internet, I have found there are thousands of complaints and news shows about this issue and yet, you have done little. Why " I have two of these vehicles grey [xxx] and green [xxx] and they both have this issue! - wtf " and they do not work with 1/2 the system as stated in EA11001 - the pedal goes to the floor! this is severely dangerous! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #38

Feb 072014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 117,000 miles
EA11001 brake pedal suddenly went to the floor during braking, hit pole. Repair center showed me a batch of rusted brake lines entering the ABS box underneath the drivers side door. There was fluid leaking from that group of lines, four of them together. Searching the internet, I have found there are thousands of complaints and news shows about this issue and yet, you have done little. Why " I have two of these vehicles grey [xxx] and green [xxx] and they both have this issue! - wtf " and they do not work with 1/2 the system as stated in EA11001 - the pedal goes to the floor! this is severely dangerous! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #37

Jan 102014

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Coming to a stop the brakes kind of slipped and car would not stop as it should. ABS light also came on. And also made a grinding noise.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

problem #36

Jul 192013

Tahoe

  • 87,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the brakes became inoperable. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the brake line was rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

- Burke, VA, USA

problem #35

Dec 282012

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
Had vehicle inspected. Mechanic, who is very good, told me brake lines starting to rust. This latest inspection showed issue getting worse. Was told eventually will have to be replaces. Expensive.

- Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA

problem #34

Sep 012013

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • miles
When driving at low speed and coming to a stop the ABS light comes on and the brakes slip and grind where it takes twice as long to stop the car. I have had the car looked at and was told all pads and rotors are fine also told it could possibly be a problem with the the ABS system.

- Buffalo, NY, USA

problem #33

Nov 292012

Tahoe 8-cyl

  • 156,000 miles
I came out of my house, started my truck to warm it up. Then I drove to the corner of my block, and my brakes suddenly went all the way to the floor. I proceeded to add brake fluid not sure what the problem was. There was no response after pumping the brakes multiple times, my vehicle is an 02 Chevy Tahoe. So I drove the car very slowly and cautiously back to the house. I looked up this problem on the internet. When I found that their were problems surrounding the speed sensor and breaking of this vehicle. I could have been getting on the highway when this occurred on thanksgiving day.

- Jamaica, NY, USA

problem #32

Nov 042013

Tahoe

  • miles
I was driving down my street doing 20 mph when I came to a red light and the brake pedal went down to the floor enabling me to stop. After pumping the brakes I realized that I couldn't slow down this is when I used my emergency brakes. After making a U-turn to come back to my home, I looked under the rear driver side tire and seen that the line was leaking and it was all rusteed. I was terrified because I had my 7 week old daughter in the vehicle with me. Then I did some research and found that I was not the only person with this problem.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #31

Oct 262013

Tahoe

  • 17,600 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while testing the parking brake at 6000 rpms or higher, the brake would not hold the vehicle in place. The contact stated that if he needed to apply the parking brake while driving 60 mph or higher, the brakes would fail. The contact had not spoken to the dealer or manufacturer about the failure. The failure and current mileage was 176,000. The VIN was not available.

- Pinehurst, NC, USA

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